Making a few stops along the way, a local play is beginning its path to Christmas.

Opening on Friday, November 21st, the Paulin Memorial Players will present Robert Inman’s The Christmas Bus. Being staged at Paulin Memorial Presbyterian Church’s upper hall (located at 3200 Woodland Avenue), this community production will bring the play to life for Windsor/Essex audiences.

After performing The Best Christmas Pageant Ever with Riverfront Theatre Company in 2024, the story was selected as a good fit to accomplish many goals.

“Paulin Memorial Players likes to have a good family-friendly show in the fall,” said the play’s co-director, Kristina Garswood. “We wanted to do another show that would include children from the community, giving them a chance to participate in a wholesome extracurricular activity and shine together. When we did a joint production with Riverfront last year, we really found that we enjoyed a mixed cast of adults and children. It was a warm and friendly atmosphere that we wanted to work with again.”

Taking place on Christmas Eve, Peaceful Valley Orphanage’s Director, Ms. Frump, wants to give her kids their most memorable Christmas ever. Borrowing an old bus and arranging for each child to spend the holiday with a local family, she hasn’t shared her plan with the Board of Trustees: Thinking she’s out of control, they’re already looking to get her fired as it is.

Trying to execute her plan with the oldest orphan and right-hand man, Thomas, Ms. Frump is pursued by Sheriff Snodgrass and the Busybodies. In addition, the two meet a travelling troubadour attempting to get home by Christmas so he can find out if his sweetheart wants him back after leaving to become a folk singer.

Being a family-friendly show with an all-ages cast, the seasonal play compliments last year’s presentation while exploring a very different story.

“We really wanted the opportunity to produce another show that created the warmth and kindness that we found in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” said Garswood. “We also wanted to produce a lesser-known work, doing something new and fun. With this show, we’re letting ourselves be a little silly but essentially talking about the same thing — taking care of the things and people that really matter at Christmas and throughout the year. Once again, the show is about breaking the rules or fighting through challenges to give kids a chance to thrive, be successful and loved. We think that’s a pretty important message.”

Holding open auditions last summer, a casting call was posted on Facebook. Those trying out familiarized themselves by doing a simple read-through with casting done afterwards. Eventually, 18 performers were given roles as many returned from The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and previous Paulin Memorial Players shows.

Coming together quickly, Garswood was impressed with how her cast embraced the characters and material.

“I think what really made them stand out to me was their immediate willingness to trust each other enough to experiment with choices right from the get-go,” she said. “I really respond well to actors who are willing to try delivering lines in an audition in a completely different way or put themselves out there and go big.”

Starting out with the script and broader approach, everyone focused on several key points as a foundation. Building more nuance as rehearsals went on, actors then started figuring out where and how to lean on their characters for maximum impact. This included touching moments, the best comedic timing, differences that separate one orphan from another along with bullies on the Board of Trustees.

Fine tuning background action and emphasizing physical comedy, actors also used their own experiences to help inform each character.

” The cast has really gelled in their roles,” said Garswood. “I think some of our young members have given thought to the things that make them feel vulnerable in their own lives so that when they speak as their characters with their own embarrassments and disappointments, they can do it from the heart. Our member Audrey Landon feels she’s becoming typecast as a bit of a tyrant and embraces it: It’s a wonderful alternative to her daily walk through life. Playing Ms. Frump (although I didn’t intend to take a role in the play, I was only planning to direct), – it’s not a stretch to play a woman running an orphanage full of lively children when you’ve spent a number of years directing a youth theatre company and you already see working with kids as your life’s mission.”

Doing a play for the first time, others have learnt a lot about their characters by connecting with experienced actors as well.

“Two of the ‘villains’ in our story are on stage for the very first time, and it’s been a delight to watch their confidence grow,” said the co-director. “I think the young man playing our Sheriff connected with the role originally as someone who likes rules, order and a regularity to life. He’s excellent with all of that. Along the way in rehearsal though, we’ve watched him soften and connect with the other cast members. He really started to show off some delightful comedic timing and a growing willingness to experiment with new approaches. As it always is in theatre, it’s been very rewarding to watch the cast grow into their characters and find more and more out about who they are.”

In addition to helping less experienced actors explore their characters, cast members bonded to create a fun space for rehearsals. Cheering each other on, it was especially helpful when figuring out how to give audiences as many laughs as possible. Coming organically, the trusting environment allowed actors to feel safe when experimenting with different approaches for their characters and the comedic production in general.

Featuring several generations, it’s benefited everyone in different ways.

“The kids have been getting closer, but it’s also been really good to watch their confidence growing in having casual conversations with people from a variety of generations,” said Garswood. “It’s one of the real blessings of a mixed-age cast. I spend most of my time directing youth theatre and we don’t get that except with the volunteers interacting with the kids of course. It’s a whole different animal when kids and adults interact together in the same cast. I think there’s something really special about kids seeing adults learning, making mistakes and having to take time to get good at something too.”

Although the production is based on the straight play instead of its musical counterpart, this edition of The Christmas Bus also contains five to six songs. Worked into the overall plot seamlessly, they provide some of the show’s most memorable moments.

Of course, Garswood has her own favourites that stand out too.

” I think my favourite song in the show is probably Bill Grogan’s Goat because it’s the most exuberant song with the kids having the most fun with it,” she said. “There’s a sing-along and call-and-response with The Travelling Troubadour, so it really gets our Bus rocking! Overall, what I like best is that this show is silly and exuberant, but the people are still real and vulnerable to one another — they’re obviously caring about one another.”

It’s this sincerity that also provides the co-director’s most memorable and relatable story beats.

“My favourite moment in the entire show may possibly be when the heat gets turned up on the Sheriff during a meeting with the ladies on the Board of Trustees,” said Garswood. “The other moment that really gets me is right at the end of the show, as all the happy endings are working out for everyone. For some reason, I watch all those happy endings work out and just look at my cast with such affection, wanting all the good things for them in their own futures.”

Presented by the Paulin Memorial Players, performances of The Christmas Bus will take place at Paulin Memorial Presbyterian Church’s upper hall on November 21st, 22nd and 23rd. Showtimes are 7:00pm on Friday and Saturday with a 2:00pm matinee on Sunday. Admission is $20 per person at the door for all performances (cash only). Free on-site parking is also available at the wheelchair accessible venue.

Affordable and accessible to all, it’s a play that has something for everyone.

” Families are going to enjoy coming to this story together,” said Garswood. “There’s enough action and fun to entertain the kids with genuinely funny moments for adults as well. It’s a great start to Christmas with all the feel-good, happy outcomes. The whole setting is the Christmas season and a Christmas miracle. What’s not to love in that?  I also think it’s fun to see something new. We love our Christmas classics and coming back to them,  but having something fresh and different for families to enjoy together can be Christmas gold.  And hey, we’ve got a bus on the stage — that doesn’t happen every day!”